Some Nights are a Storm
by Kinomi Akai
Summary: COMPLETE. In which Sasuke hates the weather (and himself), and Naruto still tastes like miso. SNS, Canonverse, Oneshot. Happy SNS day!
1. Final Draft

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or any of its associated characters!  
_

 _Summar y: __COMPLETE. In which Sasuke hates the weather (and himself), and Naruto still tastes like miso. SNS, Canonverse, Oneshot. Happy SNS day!_ _  
_

 _A/N: It's SNS day?! I never know about these things! I was literally thinking about posting this yesterday, oops. It's another simplified canon (no Danzo stuff - pretty much just Orochimaru). It's kind of flowery writing because sometimes I just get so sick of academic writing that I just go the total other way sdadlajdakdja (I hope you enjoy!)  
_

* * *

 **Some Nights are a Storm**

The sun overwhelmed him.

After thirteen days (or rather, nights) of stalking a target, it felt...well, worse than usual. Not the heat—no, Sasuke was of a clan built from flame, and the sun was only another thing burning—but the light. It was too bright—always too bright.

Still, Sasuke heaved a sigh of relief as he exited the doors. Reporting on a mission was always one of the more...tedious parts of being a ninja.

"Yo, Sasuke!"

Sasuke paused mid-step, waiting just long enough for the orange blur to catch up to him before he continued walking.

"Usuratonkachi," he greeted automatically.

"Teme." Naruto held his hands behind his head, tilted just so to face Sasuke with a brilliant grin. Sasuke swallowed and looked away.

Too bright.

"You're back," Naruto said needlessly.

He tilted his head in acknowledgement.

"How was it?"

Boring. Easy. The same as usual.

"Fine."

For some reason, that made Naruto laugh. Sasuke eyed the motion as if it annoyed him.

It didn't.

"Where're you headed now?"

Well, he _had_ been headed home, but…

Out of the corner of his eye, he regarded Naruto.

"To train."

Naruto's eyes lit up.

"Wanna spar?"

It was just too easy.

* * *

It was one of those fights that they fought for no other reason than because they could. Naruto wasn't distracted, Sasuke wasn't frustrated, they weren't learning anything particularly new or exciting—there was no ulterior motive to their movements. But the way they moved together with such practiced familiarity—

It was a simple pleasure that Sasuke couldn't get enough of.

Naruto caught his wrist, thumb sliding along the sweat—Sasuke dodged the blow—and the next three—but his mind still stayed with that hand on his skin—

Naruto's touch, on the other hand...that was a far more complicated pleasure.

They broke apart.

Sasuke wiped at the hair sticking to his face—with each strand he wiped away, a new one took its place. He scowled.

"Let's call it," Naruto's voice—breathless and tired—broke through his thoughts. "It's getting late."

Sasuke wished that he was surprised that he hadn't noticed the sun start to set. But after years of this—years of Naruto distracting, commanding, consuming his attention—all he felt was resigned.

"Besides," Naruto threw him a grin—and, really, at that point, who needed the sun? "I need a shower."

"I'm well aware."

Naruto laughed, slapping at his shoulder in a way that only gave him the leeway to continue the motion—

"Get off me," Sasuke mumbled, his arm slipping around Naruto's waist.

Naruto ignored him.

"Your place or mine?"

"Whatever."

Naruto laughed—a gentle sound, punctuated by the way his breath danced along Sasuke's skin—

"Yours, then."

* * *

The shower was a small reprieve.

He turned the heat up—closing his eyes as the steam rose around him—

A small break from Naruto—from the way his mind succumbed to the blonde so easily, so entirely. Then again, the blonde had never needed to be _with_ Sasuke to consume him.

He opened his eyes.

He made little effort to dodge the water—to move his face away. His eyes had always felt like they needed cleansing more than the rest of him—and that way saying something. No matter how he scrubbed, Sasuke never ended up clean.

His eyes began to sting under the water—a familiar pain.

He sighed.

Naruto didn't blame him, he knew. He had told him as much—several times, at several different volumes. And the thought helped—it did—but Naruto gave forgiveness freely and easily, no matter how little it was deserved.

And Sasuke was sure he did not deserve Naruto's forgiveness.

He leaned back, lathering the soap across his shoulder.

But he had it—even after he had betrayed him. Even after he had put a fist through his chest—even after he left Naruto's bleeding, unconscious body to _rot_ in the mud and the rain—

He could have died. He should have died.

He should have, at the very least, given up on Sasuke that day.

But Naruto was far too stubborn—too determined, too full of _life_ —to do what he should.

Sasuke snorted, letting his gaze turn to the drain—the way the water spun around it, sinking down, taking pieces of him with it. Good. Let them go.

He had done what he could to avoid Naruto during his time in Sound—managing it in everything but the nightmares. The look on Naruto's face as Sasuke all but killed him was as familiar to him as his own mother's lifeless eyes, now.

But then he had had enough—and he had left. Orochimaru's blood on his hands was justified, but so was Itachi's. It didn't make Sasuke's hands any cleaner.

It was after the first death but before the second that Sasuke had—without thinking, without checking, without _knowing_ —eaten his first hot meal in years.

It tasted like home.

Like miso.

Like Naruto.

He had nearly vomited into the bowl.

He took to saying he was allergic, afterwards, to explain the way he obsessively avoided the ingredient. He may as well have been, with the way it had left him shaking—clammy—cold—

He turned the shower tap hotter.

He had dreamt of Naruto again that night—but there were no tears on his cheeks, no pain in his eyes, and the way he cried out Sasuke's name had been...well. Different.

Sasuke sighed.

He had awoken with the taste of miso on his tongue.

He was yet to be rid of that taste—but it was a better form of torture than the alternative. He was blessed with this pain—this yearning that distracted him from thoughts much worse.

Naruto was always good at distraction.

He felt the smile pull his lips—something that felt unfamiliar to him, now. It was the same discomfort he felt in the face of Naruto's wide, ebuillant smile—when Naruto greeted him, like he had today, as if welcoming him home—

The guilt—because this was a small bubble of happiness that he should not be allowed to have.

But so long as Naruto wanted him, he would stay. It had taken three years after Itachi's death for Sasuke to finally give in to the blonde—three years of him wandering, lost, as if the world around him would provide him with the will to live—

He supposed it had, eventually.

Naruto had been a frequent visitor—in person, in dreams, in both (together, at once)—until one day, he came alone.

He asked to spar.

Sasuke didn't speak, but he did answer the following punch in kind.

Naruto had been relentless. They had barely stopped to breathe. At one point, every movement started to feel as if he was fighting against death itself—but even as his legs began to fail him, he kept fighting. They fell to their knees, together—Sasuke remembered digging his fist into Naruto's chest in an attempt to keep himself upright…but Naruto had stiffened, and he knew it was in recognition.

He didn't need Naruto to tell him who was coming for them.

He could have run. He could have; if he had the energy to stay alive, then he had the energy to leave. But Naruto's skin had pressed against his fist, his voice whispered Sasuke's name, and for the first time in a long while, Sasuke had let himself crumble.

He had awoken in Konoha. Naruto had still been unconscious—apparently, a result of not stopping (not for food, not for sleep, not for a moment) lest someone catch up to him. From what Sasuke had picked up, Naruto's leaving the village had followed some large disagreement he had had with Tsunade or Kakashi or Sakura—or all of them. No doubt about him.

Sasuke leant against the tile—letting its cool touch contrast with the scalding water.

The days Naruto had been asleep had been terrible. He barely remembered them. He didn't want to remember them at all.

But then he had awoken, and it was as if Sasuke could breathe again. He had single-handedly championed the effort to have Sasuke pardoned—to have Sasuke reinstated, as a ninja—to let him have a place to live, still on Uchiha grounds—

And he had succeeded—in all aspects. Of course he had. Sasuke was beginning to wonder if there was even ever another option when Naruto was involved.

That foreign warmth made its way back under Sasuke's skin, and he shut the water off.

This reprieve had been long enough.

* * *

Naruto's shower—unsurprisingly—lasted longer than Sasuke's. He didn't mind. Without the rushing water in his ears, he could hear the loud, obnoxious, off-key shouting that Naruto insisted was singing.

Sasuke wasn't so sure.

He was already well into cooking by the time the blonde sidled up to him, still rubbing a towel through his hair. He had found the spare set of clothes Sasuke had left out, it seemed, from the way the Uchiha clan symbol blazed proudly across his back—

"Your singing needs work," he greeted him softly.

"You love my voice." Naruto peered over his shoulder, hair dripping water onto Sasuke's neck. "Dinner?"

Sasuke intently stared into the pot and kept his voice level.

"You're not going anywhere near this."

Naruto was immediately offended.

"Oh come on!" he protested. "I'm not that bad!"

Sasuke gave him a easy, practiced doubtful look. Naruto's cooking was fine—a little experimental, at times, but it tended towards good more often than bad these days. Still—Sasuke was tired and dull and his thoughts were worse than usual today, and cooking for Naruto made him feel...

"Fine," Naruto pulled himself up on the counter, "then I'll just sit here and distract you."

Sasuke snorted, opening the fridge.

"How is that any different than usual?"

"Teme!" Naruto kicked him on his way by. Sasuke let him.

"What're you making? Ramen?" Naruto waggled his eyebrows.

"In your dreams." Sasuke set the heat a little higher.

"You're right," Naruto laughed, "you totally make me ramen in my dreams."

Sasuke studiously ignored the way his heart flip-flopped.

* * *

It was about halfway into his first portion (and halfway into Naruto's _third_ ) that he heard the sky rumble.

Sasuke flinched.

He should have known from way the air stuck to his skin—from the way the moisture had settled into his home—from the way the heat hadn't left with the sun—that there was going to be a storm.

Sasuke hated storms.

"Aw, crap," Naruto grumbled, twisting around in his chair. "Is it raining? I gotta—"

"Stay the night."

The words were out of his mouth in a heartbeat. It was barely even a thought. Two weeks without Naruto had been two weeks too long—and add to that a storm, and all the memories that came with it—

Naruto still managed to look surprised.

"Really? You sure?"

Sasuke only turned back to his food.

It was barely a moment before he felt Naruto's foot nudge his—a gentle touch, as if just calling for Sasuke's attention—

"Thanks, Sasuke."

Naruto rested his cheek on his hand, smiling at Sasuke—eyes sparkling with something dangerously close to affection—

Sasuke's voice stuck in his throat.

He gave one brief, awkward nod, wrenching his gaze away from that smile. Sometimes, when Naruto looked at him like that—when he said his name like that—he could almost imagine—it was almost as if—

"Mm," Naruto hummed, taking another bite, "d'you have sake here?"

Sasuke glanced at him. "...I might."

Naruto's grin widened and he clapped his hands at Sasuke.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"What? You don't have another mission tomorrow, do you?"

Sasuke kept his eyebrow raised.

" _C'mon_ ," Naruto nearly wiggled in place, "let's at least make a night of it. How long's it been since I stayed here overnight?"

The thunder rumbled.

Sasuke's body shuddered with it.

"Just a...minute."

* * *

"So then—so _then_ , Sakura finally had to stand up and—" Naruto laughed, waving a hand over his face as if he could barely finish the sentence, "and she just— _decks_ the guy, and he goes down like—" he slapped the edge of the couch, "like _nothing_ —right, you know Sakura—but he's totally out cold and it's like half a second before she's in full medic mode—'cause he's a _civilian_ , you know? And he was totally fine but—fuck _,_ it was so funny—"

He laughed again, shuffling closer to Sasuke.

"You gotta come out with us sometime," he threw Sasuke a grin, "so you can actually see all this stuff."

"Sakura beat up unsuspecting men? I think I see that plenty."

Naruto barked out a surprised laugh—

"It's not _always_ that!" He laughed again. "...Sometimes it's Ino."

Sasuke snorted into his cup.

"Mm, but I guess it'd be you," Naruto grinned, "if you came with us. Good old pretty boy Sasuke—"

"Don't be an idiot."

Naruto giggled.

"Mm, or maybe you'd just rip their ego to shreds. That seems more your style—"

"Naruto," Sasuke sighed, the breath rocking him the same way the alcohol seemed to be, "I hardly have the same fanclub I used to."

"Uh," Naruto's eyebrows rose, "Sasuke? Yeah, you do. They're just way more subtle."

Bullshit. Sasuke gave him a look that told him so.

"And they're too scared to go to you so who do you think they come to?" Naruto's voice rose at _least_ a full octave. "Oooh, Naruto, is Uchiha-san back from a mission yet? Ooh, Naruto, when's Uchiha-san's birthday? Oooh, Naruto—"

Sasuke shoved at his face until he dissolved into laughter.

"Hey—oi, hey, I'm gonna spill—" Naruto snorted, waving his cup at Sasuke—

The thunder struck.

Sasuke immediately pulled back. The rumble reminded him of reality—of the truth—of Naruto, unconscious, as Sasuke's tears mixed with the rain—

"Hey—you okay?"

Sasuke opened his eyes—not realizing he had closed them.

"...Fine."

He looked away.

The couch shifted—he could feel Naruto, moving closer—

"Sasuke." His voice was quiet—gentle—soothing. A calm question that needed no asking—a reminder that Naruto could hear what Sasuke left unsaid just as clearly as what he said out loud.

Sasuke looked up.

Naruto's gaze was as soft as his voice.

"I…" Sasuke swallowed, tearing his eyes away from Naruto's, "just—don't like storms."

There was a pause.

"Do you not?" Naruto shifted, again, and Sasuke stared at the way Naruto's thigh pressed against his. "I figured the lightning would be like— _soothing_ to you. S'like your thing, isn't it?"

Sasuke looked up, again, against his will. Meeting those eyes was a mistake that he could never seem to stop making—

"But I guess there's too much water." Naruto's mouth widened into a grin. "Is it that that freaks you out? Can't release any good fireballs with the rain pouring down on your—"

"It's not that," Sasuke muttered, turning away. "It's not...that."

There was a pause.

Naruto shoved his shoulder into Sasuke's.

"Usurato—"

"I was just making sure you knew I was still here," Naruto's gaze was serious—hard—his smile turning into something tight and half-missing, "sometimes it seems like you forget."

Sasuke stared at him.

Of course. Naruto knew him, understood him—read him as obsessively as Sasuke had read his family scrolls—

Sasuke swallowed against the lump in his throat.

"Mm," Naruto leaned against him, "Lee's been thinking about asking out Sakura again. He left it alone for like—a couple months more than usual. I guess it's a long time for him—"

Naruto laughed, and Sasuke let his words filter through his mind—with the proximity of Naruto's lips, his voice was so much louder than the rain—louder than the thunder, even—

"—but, y'know, I dunno what he thinks is gonna happen. Sometimes I think that—"

Naruto's arm rested on his shoulder—the side of his body completely pressed against Sasuke's, now—and between the warmth and his smile and his voice—

"—'cause like, I think Sakura's _more_ than okay with making the first move—"

Naruto knew exactly what he was doing.

He laughed in time with the boom of the thunder. Sasuke felt the chills trickle out, under his skin, in direct contrast to the heat beside him—Sasuke pressed himself against Naruto just a little harder, because he was _warm_ and warm meant _alive_ and alive meant—

"—gonna refill my drink." The warmth moved away—Sasuke opened his eyes and was cold, cold, cold—

"Gimmie your cup. I'll get you more too."

Naruto smiled down at him, flicking his fingers in a fist and then back again when Sasuke took just a bit too long—

Warm, again.

He passed him the cup—not finished, yet, but there was little room for argument with that smile and even less with those eyes—and their fingers brushed, just for a second.

Sasuke leaned back against the couch, looking away as if that touch hadn't set his veins alight.

But Naruto's fingertips brushed the back of his neck on their way by—tracing, innocently, as if they had been running along the couch and Sasuke had just happened to get in the way—and the chills were back again. Different, now—an echo of this memory, replacing ones so much worse—

Sasuke closed his eyes and let himself shiver.

The rain continued to fall.

"Teme." The word brushed right past his ear.

Sasuke's eyes snapped open.

Naruto leaned, eyes alive and watchful, over the back of the couch—over the back of Sasuke. The cups were no longer in his hand.

"Your turn."

Sasuke shifted to scan him again.

"I've been talking all night." Naruto's hand nudged his shoulder. "Your turn."

He heard—in the pause where Sasuke tried to find the words and Naruto watched him with a patience that he wasn't supposed to have—the rumble of thunder. It was closer, now.

Outside, something snapped.

Sasuke jolted, sucking in a breath—turning away, from Naruto, just as he saw the blonde start to move—

"Hey," so gentle, so soft, as Naruto's hand brushed his bangs back from his eyes, "was the mission that bad…?"

Sasuke shook his head.

"The nightmares, then?"

He shook it again.

"...Konoha?"

"No." The word immediately broke free of his throat. Naruto had asked him before, more than once—when he was injured, hurt, unwell, tired, eyes full of fear and doubt and everything else that didn't belong there—if Sasuke wanted to leave again.

He didn't.

It had nothing to do with the village.

Naruto let out a breath, ducking back down.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, because Naruto had been happy, today. Happy to see Sasuke, happy to spar, happy to be here—

Sasuke was so good at ruining Naruto's happiness.

But Naruto only brought his head back up, blinking at Sasuke as if he could think of no possible explanation for his words—

"What for?"

Did he want a list? Sasuke could certainly provide him with one.

"Everything."

The thunder snapped against the windows, but it was Naruto's harsh breath that made Sasuke jump.

"No. Okay—you know what? No. _I'm_ sorry." His eyes flashed, just like the light outside. "I made just as many mistakes as you did, Sasuke."

On what _planet_?

"You—"

"I did. I don't care if you don't agree with me." Naruto glared at him and Sasuke's mouth snapped shut. "If you can feel bad about _everything_ , so can I."

No. _No_. Regret and guilt and the nightmares that came with them was what made up _Sasuke_ , not Naruto—never Naruto. Naruto was happiness and light and movement ever-forward—

"I didn't understand." Naruto looked back down, as if reading the words from his hands. "Not the way I should have. From the start—I thought I understood, and I didn't. Everything left you in a night. One night—" Naruto swept his arm, out, across the couch, "gone. Everything. And nothing changed. The village didn't move. _Everything_ should have changed—and nothing—the village just—" Naruto doubled back, running a hand through his hair as if he wasn't echoing Sasuke's own thoughts back at him, "and I was part of that. Part of the village that didn't move—didn't understand—didn't—"

He shook his head, swallowing his words.

"I'm part of the reason you left. So I'm sorry."

It hurt. It hurt because Naruto's words rang true and the blonde _knew_ it—knew it like he knew Sasuke, so agonizingly well despite everything Sasuke had tried to stop it from happening—

"But—I—" Naruto looked back at him, just for a moment, "I can't regret it. I hate that you needed to leave—but you did and I _learned_. And I understand, now."

His voice lowered down—to the same pitch of the rain, dulled through the walls of Sasuke's house—

"And I wouldn't trade that for anything."

The lightning struck again.

Sasuke didn't jump.

Naruto threw him a wry smile. "Is that selfish? I guess it kinda is."

"It's stupid." It was Naruto's turn to jump—at the sound of Sasuke's voice, this time. "Are you sorry or do you not regret it?"

Naruto's stared at him for a moment before he broke out into a soft laugh.

"Can't I be a bit of both?"

And there—back, again—was the affection that glittered in his eyes, and the soft smile that spoke an entirely different language that his usual wide grin—

"...If you're an idiot."

Naruto laughed, again, and Sasuke forgot his own name.

"Yeah—okay. I'll take what I can get." He pushed off the back of the couch, walking towards the kitchen. "Hang on. I'll actually get our drinks, this time."

* * *

The mood had shifted into dangerous territory.

It was softer—warmer— _happier_ , and there was a calmness in Sasuke's chest that he couldn't entirely attribute to the alcohol. But Naruto…

Naruto laughed beside him, on the couch, one leg lifted up to rest its knee over Sasuke's thigh. If Sasuke dropped his arm, it would have fallen to Naruto's head or his shoulder or _his thigh_ , and so it laid across the back of the couch, which was as noninvasively as Sasuke had managed to put an arm around the blonde—

And that was dangerous.

Because he had a drink in hand—half-finished, already—and a smile on his face. Naruto's laugh rang out and Sasuke moved with it—Naruto had always been a magnet, pulling Sasuke in, closer, closer, closer—

"M'such a lightweight." Naruto's head sagged—decadently close to resting on Sasuke's shoulder. "Sakura can drink me under the table."

"Is that something to be proud of?"

And Naruto's head _did_ fall, now—tilting back, on Sasuke's shoulder, as a clear-blue sky blinked up at him.

Oh no.

It was the beat of Sasuke's heart—oh no, oh no, oh no—because Naruto was talking and he couldn't hear the words, and Sasuke's arm had fallen and it wrapped around Naruto, now—helping him to twist them around, to press Naruto against the back of the couch as Sasuke pushed his body against his—

Miso.

Still miso.

He didn't know how he could have expected anything else.

Maybe a reaction more violent—maybe a Naruto less frozen, as Sasuke pulled away. Naruto was always one to react without thinking and yet today, it seemed, he had chosen to do the opposite—

"...Sasuke?"

He didn't look up—he didn't; he couldn't. He'd look up and he'd be trapped—he'd look up and he'd be lost—he'd look up, and—

"Sasuke—"

Oh.

It was only _after_ Sasuke's back hit the couch that he registered how Naruto's voice had changed—only after Naruto was already on top of him, already all around him, with miso in his mouth—

"Sasuke," Naruto breathed against his lips and there it was again, a desperation so _different_ —a desperation that Sasuke had only ever heard ( _felt_ ) in his best, best, best dreams—he grabbed ahold of Naruto's hair, his back, his neck—

And Naruto moaned into his mouth, then, and it made Sasuke explode with heat—Sasuke, built of flame, and yet here he was utterly consumed by it—hot and wet and _relentless_ —Sasuke gasped for air but he only breathed in Naruto—

"Sasuke," Naruto whispered, and Sasuke was undone—a thread; a string loose on a sweater, and Naruto had been unravelling him for years—

It was all he could do to pull at the fabric of Naruto's shirt—all he could do not to flinch as Naruto was blocked from his sight by his own—but then he was back, and so was his mouth, his skin, his _skin_ —Sasuke traced down his arms, pausing, pressing, pulling—it was smooth, unmarred, unaffected, as if all the pain he had survived (inflicted by _Sasuke_ , he knew, hand tracing over his chest) didn't exist at all—had never happened at all—Naruto's lips pressed to his neck and they were soft, his breath trembling over where the cursed seal had once lain—faded, now, disappeared, now (hidden wounds, hidden pain, but Sasuke had never been able to hide from Naruto)—

"Sasuke," the word danced along his skin as if it were a kiss—and maybe it was, with the way Naruto sighed, pressing his nose into Sasuke's skin as he trailed along his neck, behind his ear—the chills were back and they were heaven—they were a dream, a genjutsu, something as impossibly perfect as Naruto himself—Sasuke shuddered as Naruto's hips slipped between his legs—faintly, somewhere in the back of his mind, Sasuke heard the thunder rumble yet again, but Naruto was _here_ and hot and pressing against him—moving with him, and he couldn't hear the rain over the sound of Naruto's breath in his ear, growing harsher and heavier and faster and—

"Naruto—" it broke out of his mouth like a breath—like a sigh, like something permanent, unstoppable, undeniable—he felt Naruto's grip instantly tighten, felt his mouth crash into Sasuke's, moan into Sasuke's, hips pressing forward and forward and— _ah_ —

Sasuke melted.

He was so—so weak. So gone—so lost, as the pleasure whipped through him—as Naruto moaned with him, bodies in sync, always in sync—Sasuke wouldn't be surprised if his own heartbeat had come to match the blonde's (his heart had spent enough time in Naruto's grasp at this point anyway)—

His eyes fluttered open as Naruto's nose pressed into his cheek, forehead pressing against his brow—he breathed out once, and then again (like a sigh, or maybe a laugh), and then the sky was back, smiling at him—

"I love you," Naruto said, as if the words weren't about to break Sasuke apart and knit him back together. "Sasuke, I—"

Sasuke cut him off. He had never cared for miso, as a child—never particularly sought it out, never particularly avoided it, either—until he had tasted it from Naruto's lips. If he had known what an addiction that would create—if he had known how consumed he would be by this—

"I love you," Naruto whispered again, smiling against his lips as if he _meant_ it—nuzzling him as if the words were true, as if he was _happy_ they were, as if this love had been a blessing, instead of a curse, which was impossible (but this was _Naruto_ and Naruto lived for the impossible)—

"I'm so happy," he sighed, clutching Sasuke to him. "I'm so happy you came home, Sasuke, you have no idea—"

"I never left." Sasuke closed his eyes, pressing closer as if he was only speaking to Naruto's skin and not to the blonde who would surely hear— "I couldn't."

No matter where he had gone—how far he had run, how desperately he had tried to forget—his mind had stayed still, with Naruto. Sasuke blamed his heart, personally (blackened, disloyal, treacherous thing that it was)—

But Naruto's body tensed, as it had when Sasuke had kissed him—a shock—a happy disbelief—Naruto pulled back to stare at Sasuke in wonder and Sasuke thought he would let every thought spill from his mouth if only to keep Naruto looking at him like that—

The lightning struck.

Sasuke didn't flinch.

(Naruto had never been afraid of storms.)

His eyes fluttered shut as Naruto moved forwards again—

(He had never been afraid of Sasuke.)

It was already too easy—too _natural_ —to kiss Naruto like this—

(His forgiveness had felt insufficient because it had never been forgiveness at all.)

Naruto's fingers ran along the hem of Sasuke's pants—

(There was nothing to forgive.)

Sasuke felt the fabric slip from him as Naruto pulled him from the couch—

(Naruto understood him.)

To the shower—or the bed—Sasuke didn't much care—

(Naruto loved him.)

As long as his mouth tasted like miso—as long as Naruto's hands never let him go—

(Sasuke was home.)

* * *

 _A/N: I find I tend to skip ahead when I write canonverse stuff—like time skip to when Sasuke is a little more used to being back in Konoha and has kind of come back to himself. This was my experiment with writing a more guilt-ridden Sasuke. What did you think?_

 _Side note, this was an entirely different, finished fic, originally. I'm debating posting the original version of this as a seocnd chapter, just for fun - if you guys wanna see it, let me know! It was really different, haha.  
_

 _Till next time,_

 _\- Kinomi_


	2. Original Draft

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or any of its associated characters!  
_

 _Summar y: __COMPLETE. In which Sasuke hates the weather (and himself), and Naruto still tastes like miso. SNS, Canonverse, Oneshot. Happy SNS day!_ _  
_

 _A/N: Hey guys! So I'm going to be uploading a bunch of content starting tomorrow (for Sasuke's birthday), but before I do that - here's the original version of Some Nights are a Storm. You can completely ignore it if you'd like to! But it's so different that it feels like a different fic to me, and it feels like a shame to have a completed version of a story sitting on my computer for no one to see. I'm really tempted to sit here and list all of the reasons why I felt the need to rewrite it, but I think I'll just let you all have your own opinion :)  
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 _Hope you guys are excited for tomorrow!_

* * *

 **Original Draft (Rough): Some Nights are a Storm  
**

The sun felt entirely overwhelming.

After being on a mission for two weeks—a stealth mission, of which the majority was conducted at night—it always tended to take a little while to adjust.

Still, Sasuke heaved a sigh of relief as he exited the doors. Reporting on a mission after it was finished was one of the more…tedious parts of being a ninja.

"Yo, Sasuke!"

Sasuke paused mid-step, waiting just long enough for the orange blur to catch up to him before he continued walking.

"Usuratonkachi," he greeted automatically.

"Teme." Naruto held his hands behind his head, tilted just so to face Sasuke with a brilliant grin. Sasuke swallowed and looked away—that smile was even worse than the sun.

"You're back," Naruto said needlessly.

"Hn." He tilted his head in acknowledgement.

"How was it?"

Boring. Easy. The same as usual.

"Fine."

For some reason, that made Naruto laugh. Sasuke didn't protest.

"Where're you headed now?"

Well, he _had_ been headed home, but…

Out of the corner of his eye, he regarded Naruto.

"To train."

Naruto's eyes lit up.

"Wanna spar?"

It was just too easy.

* * *

What felt like hours in, the two of them were drenched in sweat, panting heavily, and—as usual—evenly matched. They had opted for taijutsu only; anything else tended to get a little…destructive.

"I'm gonna…kick your ass," Naruto threatened weakly, trying to hide his gasps for air. "You should just…give up—"

Sasuke didn't bother with a reply, only lashing out at Naruto. His technique was getting sloppy, but so was Naruto's, and if he could just catch him off guard—

Naruto caught his wrist and ducked, lurching forward—he was aiming for Sasuke's stomach, but Sasuke could tell—he just had to get his wrist loose—

He twisted away just enough to break free, but instead of following through, he paused.

Naruto did too.

Sasuke wiped at the strands of hair stuck to his face. Fuck. He was…well, he _could_ keep going, but he had learned that lesson so many times by now, he really ought to—

"Let's call it," Naruto said, "we'll finish this later. It's getting dark."

It was. Sasuke hadn't even noticed when the sunset had started, but they were well into it now.

Sasuke forced himself to stand up straight.

"Besides," Naruto threw him a grin, "I smell awful."

Sasuke smirked.

"That you do."

* * *

They ended up going to Sasuke's place. It was closer, and Sasuke never really wanted to say no to Naruto anyways…

It was a good thing that the shower let him get some time away from the idiot. Nowadays, he could barely hold himself together around him.

He sighed, letting the water run down his face.

He hadn't been able to get Naruto out of his head since the day he left Konoha. Everywhere he'd went, his heart had gone still at the sight of blonde hair. Sometimes, in a crowd, he had sworn he could hear Naruto's voice—shouting something about ramen, or bastards, or...

And then, every time he closed his eyes, he'd fall into a dream where the sky had eyes and the sun smiled with whisker-marks on its cheeks.

A few years in, his dreams had changed—the bright eyes to half-lidded, the smile to a mouth wet and parted, and both were attached to a tanned, muscular, warm body that pulled him close and called him home.

And he had come home…eventually.

He hadn't killed Itachi, in the end. He hadn't been fast enough. He _had_ killed the man who killed him, though.

Figures.

Then he had wandered around, lost, for three years. Naruto had been a frequent visitor—both in person and in his dreams—until one day, he came alone, dropped his things and asked Sasuke to spar with him.

Sasuke didn't exactly say yes, but he did answer the following punch in kind.

Naruto had been relentless. They had barely stopped to breathe. At one point, every movement started to feel as if he was fighting against death itself—but even as his legs began to fail him, he kept fighting. They fell to their knees, together—Sasuke remembered digging his fist into Naruto's chest in an attempt to keep himself upright…but Naruto had stiffened, and he knew it was in recognition.

He didn't need Naruto to tell him who was coming for them.

He could have run. He could have; if he had the energy to stay alive, then he had the energy to leave. But Naruto's skin had pressed against his fist, his voice whispered Sasuke's name, and for the first time in a long while, Sasuke had let himself crumble.

He had awoken in Konoha. Naruto had still been unconscious. Apparently, the idiot hadn't stopped—not for food, not for sleep—lest someone catch up to him. From what Sasuke had picked up, Naruto's leaving the village had followed some large disagreement he had had with Tsunade or Kakashi or Sakura—or all of them. Probably about him.

Sasuke grimaced.

The days Naruto had been asleep had been terrible. He barely remembered them. He didn't want to remember them at all.

But then he had awoken, and it was like Sasuke could finally breathe again. The overwhelming terror and anguish and hatred that had dominated his life for so long…well, they weren't gone, but it was so much harder to focus on them when he had Naruto blocking his view.

It had been remarkably easy to fall back into the same dynamic with Naruto—the name-calling, the rivalry, the companionship…it set Sasuke at ease. Naruto just…felt like home.

He sighed, grabbing the shampoo bottle.

How pathetic was he?

* * *

Sasuke was already in the kitchen when Naruto got out of his own shower.

"Whatcha doing?" Naruto grinned, shuffling up to Sasuke's side.

"I'm going to make dinner."

"Jackpot," Naruto peered over his shoulder, "want help?"

Sasuke paused, shuffling away from the blonde. That proximity was…

"You're not going anywhere near the food."

Naruto was immediately offended.

"Oh come on!" He protested, "I'm not that bad!"

Sasuke eyed him doubtfully, and went back to gathering ingredients. Naruto—in the kitchen—was always one of two things: surprisingly delicious, or absolutely disastrous.

Sasuke didn't particularly feel like rolling that dice today.

"Fine," Naruto propped himself up, sitting on the counter with his legs swinging, "then I'll just sit here and distract you."

Sasuke snorted, opening the fridge.

"How is that any different than usual?"

"Teme!" Naruto attempted to kick him on his way by. Sasuke dodged with ease.

"What're you making? Ramen?" Naruto waggled his eyebrows.

"In your dreams." Sasuke set the heat a little higher.

"You're right," Naruto laughed, "you totally make me ramen in my dreams."

Sasuke studiously ignored the way his heart flip-flopped.

* * *

"What the fuck, Sasuke? Why do you have so much booze in here?"

Naruto was staring at the cabinet, open-mouthed.

Sasuke shrugged. He knew exactly why; liquor was the gift of choice for those whose personality you didn't know—or didn't care to find out. But the fact that Sasuke received gifts at all, on any occasion, he strongly suspected to be Naruto's doing.

"I don't really go through it," he said instead.

"Oh my god," Naruto pulled out a bottle, "can we have this?"

Sasuke blinked.

"…Now?"

"Yeah," Naruto grinned at him, "you have tomorrow booked off as training, right?"

"And the next few days."

"Sweet." Naruto twisted the cap.

Sasuke only rolled his eyes.

* * *

In spite of the speed with which Naruto was eating, he still managed to eye Sasuke suspiciously.

"What?"

"You haven't even touched your drink."

Sasuke frowned.

"I'm eating."

"So am I!" As if to emphasize his point, he stuffed another bite in his mouth. Sometimes Sasuke wondered if it was the beast inside Naruto that made the blonde eat like he did—there had to be _some_ external explanation. He always ate as if he hadn't done so in days.

"I'll have it when I'm done."

"…I don't believe you."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. He was, actually, taking great care not to lower his inhibitions any more than they already were. Naruto was sitting casually, resting an arm on his propped-up knee, looking up at him with his head tilted just so...it was messing with Sasuke's head.

"Okay, okay—new idea," Naruto let out a breath as he leaned back, "we can do like…questions or something. And—if you don't answer, you have to finish your drink."

Sasuke eyed his glass with a grimace.

"Okay?"

He made the mistake of glancing at Naruto's smile.

"Alright." Damn it. _Damn it_.

"You can start," Naruto offered, looking bright and cheerful and Sasuke's eyes darted down to Naruto's lips for just a moment…

"Ah…how was the food?" Sasuke forced himself to ask the first acceptable question on his mind.

"…You are so lame." Naruto laughed. "It was great. It's always great. I'm used to my own cooking, y'know."

Sasuke snorted. Naruto grinned and took another sip of his drink.

"Why d'you let me mooch off you so often?"

Sasuke blinked.

"When do you mooch off me?"

"Now. The day before you left. Two days before that. I know I suck at cooking, but I could at least buy dinner or something."

Sasuke frowned and looked down at the table. He _liked_ cooking for Naruto. The idiot was nothing if not grateful, and it made Sasuke feel as if he…as if Naruto—

"The girls would go nuts if I told 'em you could cook." Naruto was still grinning.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"I don't have the squealing fan club that I used to, Naruto."

"Uh, Sasuke? Yes, you do."

Sasuke gave Naruto a skeptical look.

"They're just a lot subtler about it. But they're there—believe me."

Sasuke didn't, not really, but he let it slide.

"Oh—and Sasuke?" Naruto's grin widened. "Finish your drink. You didn't answer the question."

Well, shit.

* * *

Say what you would about Naruto, but he had devised an incredibly effective way to get Sasuke drunk. He didn't want to answer _any_ questions. And Naruto knew it—he swore Naruto knew the answer to half of these already.

Naruto—on the other hand—was an incredibly open person. Especially, it seemed, when it came to Sasuke. Sasuke's only saving grace was that Naruto was naturally going through his drink, regardless of the 'game' he had devised.

That, and this particular question he just didn't seem to want to answer—

"I'm fairly sure your feelings for Sakura are returned," he pushed—he knew he shouldn't, nothing good could come out of this, but his lips kept moving nonetheless, "and I'm aware of—Hinata."

"Okay, okay," Naruto had apparently given on sitting up straight. They had moved to the couch long ago, and Naruto slouched back, one leg propped up on the seat with his elbow slung over it, and the other stretched out so that it was laid across Sasuke's lap. In Sasuke's vaguely drunken state, it was taking everything he had not to reach out and run his fingers along that skin—Naruto was so warm and comfortable and Sasuke just wanted to be _closer_ —

"I—uh," Naruto's eyes flickered between Sasuke and his drink, "okay—nope."

And in one—relatively—smooth motion, Naruto chugged his drink—the drink he had refilled not a moment ago. Sasuke watched him, eyes a little wide.

"'m gonna get another, hang on," Naruto stood up, swaying a little as he moved to the kitchen.

Sasuke waited until Naruto was fully out of the room, and then let his head sink into his hands. Why had he agreed to this? It was hard enough to keep his emotions under control around Naruto on a regular day, and this wasn't even a regular day. Two weeks without Naruto was two weeks too long, and Sasuke's heart was making sure he _knew_ it—

"Hey," Sasuke jumped to attention as he felt something touch his arm. Naruto was leaning over him, looking worried—the other hand resting on the couch beside him, deliciously close to Sasuke's thigh, and Sasuke was going to have to tear his eyes away because Naruto was talking and he was going to notice soon—

"—kay?"

"Hm?" Sasuke blinked up at him.

"Aw, shit," Naruto's face fell a little, "you had too much, didn't you?"

"No," Sasuke sat up, not looking at Naruto, "I'm alright. Sorry."

Sasuke heard a sudden intake of breath, and looked up to see Naruto staring at him with wide eyes. He quickly diverted them.

"O-oh, it's okay—"

"What?" Sasuke frowned.

"Hm?" Naruto looked back at him. He looked…nervous? Confused?

"Why are you making that face?"

"I—uh," Naruto's face broke into a little smile, "you—I don't think I've ever heard you say sorry before, heh."

He laughed nervously, squeezing in between Sasuke's legs to sit on the floor. There wasn't very much space between the coffee table and the couch, so he ended up pretty much sitting on Sasuke's feet. Neither of them complained.

"Did I not?" Sasuke frowned. In the warm haze of alcohol, that seemed awfully confusing to him. He _was_ sorry. Had he never told Naruto? "Not even for leaving?"

"U-uh," if Naruto had looked surprised before, it was nothing compared to now, "no…"

"Hm." Sasuke leaned forwards, resting his forearms on his knees. "That's stupid. I'm sorry."

"…You," Naruto began, "must be so fucking hammered."

Sasuke frowned.

"S'your fault."

Naruto laughed. "Hang on—I'll get water."

He went to stand up.

Sasuke shoved him back down.

"No," he said. Was the room spinning? "Stay there."

"Uh—" Naruto looked a little hesitant, but didn't fight him.

"Good." Sasuke reached for his drink. Naruto nudged it out of the way.

"I haven't asked my question yet, teme." He grinned.

"Usuratonkachi," Sasuke sighed, "what is it?"

"Why aren't _you_ dating anyone?"

"Because I'm not _interested_ in anyone," Sasuke answered automatically.

"Oh." Naruto leaned back. Sasuke thought he saw his smile falter a little.

Damn it.

Sasuke reached for his drink and finished it.

"Sasuke—you answered the question, you didn't need to—"

"No, I didn't." He put the glass down with more force than he intended to. "I lied."

He very purposefully didn't look at Naruto. He didn't know what the blonde would be able to read in his face just then, and he wasn't willing to risk it.

"Wait—you're—you're interested in someone?" He felt Naruto's body lean against his legs for just a moment. "You're fucking with me, right? Who?"

Sasuke's heart pounded in his chest. He could have lied—why hadn't he _lied_ —god _damn_ it all—

"…Sasuke?"

Sasuke eyes flickered back to him—he regretted it immediately. Naruto was staring, eyes wide—something strange in them, something Sasuke didn't recognize—they were scanning Sasuke's face as his smile started to fade—Sasuke immediately felt the loss—

"Why aren't you smiling?" He scowled, grabbing at Naruto's face. "You're always smiling—"

"You're squishing my face, teme," Naruto muttered, hands up as if he was considering slapping Sasuke's away, "and I'm not _always_ smiling—"

"You're always smiling around _me_ ," he appended. He felt so _dizzy_ …

Naruto's face broke into a small smile—one he was obviously fighting—and Sasuke took it as a personal victory. He let go of Naruto's face, leaning in close.

"Yeah, well," Naruto squinted at him, "don't think I can't tell you're avoiding the question."

"Me?" He leaned closer. "Never."

"Ass," Naruto let out a breathy laugh, before his smile flittered away.

Sasuke resisted the urge to grab his face again.

"You're interested in someone," Naruto said again—the strange look in his eye coming back.

Sasuke didn't reply.

"Is it Sakura? Is that why you were asking about her?"

"Idiot," he swatted at Naruto's forehead, amused in spite of himself, "obviously not."

"Then who?"

Sasuke avoided his gaze, eyeing his empty glass.

"It's my turn for a question." He turned back to Naruto, smirking.

"Fuck," Naruto muttered, leaning back. Sasuke very nearly followed him.

"Fine. What's the question?" Naruto tilted his head, watching him with serious eyes.

Sasuke frowned, feeling as if he was swaying on the spot.

"Why aren't you happy right now?"

Naruto sucked in a breath.

"That's not—I'm not—"

"Don't lie," Sasuke cut him off, resting his elbows on his thighs.

Naruto's mouth stayed open for a moment, eyes boring into Sasuke's—before he looked away, grabbing his drink.

Sasuke unabashedly watched his Adam's apple bob as he finished his drink, making a fist to rest his head on.

"You're not happy," he repeated, feeling, even in the numb haze of alcohol, pain expand in his chest.

"I'm—" Naruto swayed to the side, bumping into the table, "that's not—that's not really true—"

"Naruto."

"Wh—" he let out a long breath, "that can be your next question. Who are you interested in?"

Sasuke swallowed, sitting up a little straighter. His eyes flickered to his empty cup.

"I don't have a drink to finish," he said quietly.

Naruto sighed.

"You've had enough anyways." He ran a hand through his hair, looking away.

Sasuke's chest felt incredibly tight.

"Will you at least tell me why you won't tell me?" Naruto looked back at him—his expression was nearly…upset?

"You didn't tell me why you wouldn't date Hinata," he countered.

"I'm not _interested_ in Hinata—"

"Or Sakura—"

"I'm not interested in her either—"

"Well then who _are_ you interested in?"

Naruto seemed to freeze. Sasuke felt his heart do the same.

"You're interested in someone." The realization pounded through his head like a migraine—in fact, it probably was—

" _You're_ interested in someone," Naruto muttered back, not meeting his eye.

"Tell me who." Sasuke suddenly very much missed his full drink.

" _You_ tell me who."

"I won't."

"Then I won't either!"

He scowled, glaring into Naruto's eyes. Naruto glared right back.

There was a pause.

Naruto snorted.

Against his will, Sasuke found himself fighting a smile—Naruto's laugh was just so _infectious_ —

"We're so stubborn," Naruto laughed, closing his eyes as he leaned against Sasuke's leg.

Sasuke couldn't disagree.

"Usuratonkachi," he muttered, brushing some of Naruto's hair out of his eyes. Naruto only watched him, eyes oddly serious. He swore he felt Naruto's thumb running along his knee, back and forth, as if he—

"Sasuke?"

"Hm?"

"Thanks for coming back."

Sasuke jerked in surprise, staring down at Naruto—

"I don't think I ever thanked you," he continued, softly—and now that was _definitely_ his thumb—

"You brought me back," he said, "you don't need to—"

"No," Naruto interrupted, "you came with me. I know the difference."

Sasuke's voice stuck in his throat.

"So," he shifted, stretching his arms up towards Sasuke so he could rest his cheek against his knee, "thank you."

It was as if Sasuke's throat had closed up completely—he couldn't have forced out the words even if he had known what to say, and Naruto was still watching him with those _eyes_ —

His hand moved to rest on Naruto's. It took Naruto barely a moment to shift, interlacing their fingers as if without a second thought. Sasuke's throat remained closed.

Naruto made a contented noise.

"This is really comfy," he muttered, rolling his face against Sasuke leg.

"Are you going to fall asleep on my leg?"

Naruto grinned—Sasuke could feel his lips as they widened—

"Maybe."

"…Moron."

Sasuke couldn't bring himself to protest properly. Naruto was warm—his skin was soft…Sasuke was constantly catching himself leaning closer to the blonde—any closer and he'd fall off the couch…into Naruto's arms…oh…

He heaved in a breath, forcing himself to sit up. That had been close.

Naruto watched him with curious eyes.

"You're falling asleep, too."

Was he? Maybe a little…really, he just wanted to be closer to Naruto. He _always_ wanted to be closer to Naruto…

"Not really."

Naruto tilted his head a little.

"No?" His eyes—those eyes—it was as if they glowed in this light... "You keep leaning like you're gonna fall."

"Mm," Sasuke had wondered if Naruto had noticed, "you're warm."

He heard Naruto inhale. Had that been too far? Sasuke felt so hazy—he couldn't tell if—

"I could come closer, if you want." Naruto's voice broke his thoughts.

Sasuke met his eyes—wanting nothing _more_ , but unable to voice it—

Naruto seemed to understand.

He straightened, standing just high enough to reach the couch—Sasuke leaned back, pulling Naruto forward by his hand—and then he let go to catch Naruto by the waist—

Naruto fell forwards, straddling him.

Sasuke found himself unable to breathe.

"Was this what you had in mind?" Naruto laughed, pulling back just enough to throw Sasuke a grin—lopsided, the same way as his head tilted, looking down at Sasuke with those _eyes_ —

Sasuke didn't reply.

He couldn't.

"Sasuke," Sasuke was suddenly very aware of how close Naruto was, "was this what you had in mind…?"

Naruto's tongue darted out against his lips—Sasuke swore that his eyes flickered down, to Sasuke's mouth—one of Sasuke's hands moved up, without his permission, to the back of Naruto's neck—

He pulled him down.

Naruto made a breathy noise—as if of relief—as their lips met. Sasuke thought he might have done the same—Naruto's lips felt so—so _incredible_ —they moved against his—moved with his—and he could feel—he could feel Naruto's tongue—he could feel his hands shaking against him—although it may have been him shaking, Sasuke couldn't be sure—

Naruto pulled back, panting slightly. Sasuke attempted to scan his dazed eyes—trying to clear his head of this fog—

Naruto pressed his fingers together.

"Release."

Nothing happened. Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Oh." Naruto exhaled a shuddering breath.

"You didn't think this was real?"

He shook his head.

"I still don't," he whispered, scanning Sasuke's face as if looking for any indication—any hint—that Sasuke was deceiving him, somehow—

"Usuratonkachi." Sasuke fought a losing battle against a smile. He felt as if his heart was going to burst out of his chest—he was brimming with emotion—with disbelief—with _happiness_ —

"Teme." Naruto let out a breathy laugh—and Sasuke suddenly couldn't be away from him a moment longer.

He crashed their lips together, Naruto's fingers scratching against Sasuke's neck—grabbing at his hair in an attempt to pull him closer—pull them closer—Sasuke couldn't blame him, he was doing the same—

"Hah—!" Sasuke broke the kiss—he hadn't _meant_ to, but Naruto had started to move his hips—grinding them against Sasuke—the pleasure lashed through Sasuke like a whip—

"Sasuke," Naruto breathed—it was like a sigh—Sasuke opened his eyes, racing to take in every aspect of Naruto's lust filled gaze—the hooded eyes, the swollen lips, the blush that started to spread across his face as Sasuke stared for just a bit too long—

Sasuke moved his hands up Naruto's body to push up at his shirt, gripping at the fabric until Naruto obediently raised his arms—he tossed it away—somewhere, he didn't care—Naruto was pulling at Sasuke's shirt, too—and then his lips were on him, on Sasuke's body—his hips grinding faster—harder—

"Hah—Sas—"

The pleasure spiked—it gave Sasuke the momentum to twist, pushing Naruto until his back hit the couch—Sasuke pressed in between his legs, relishing in the feeling of Naruto wrapping around him—his arms—his legs— _oh_ —

Sasuke broke the kiss to lean into Naruto's neck as they began to move—alternating between gasping for air and nipping at his skin—it felt so—so _strong_ —Sasuke was—

He felt Naruto's hands on his shoulders—softly pushing him back. He sat up, stifling a shiver as Naruto's fingers ran down his chest—down—to his waistband—

He paused, eyes looking up at Sasuke in question.

There was no need to ask.

The only reason it took him so long to get his pants off was the fact that Sasuke kept continually getting distracted with getting _Naruto's_ pants off—who was in a far more challenging position to successfully do so—but then—

He had seen Naruto naked before—sure—but never like _this_ —never—underneath him, biting his lip as he leaned up to pull Sasuke back down—pressing them together—Sasuke couldn't have stifled the moan if he tried—

"Nngh—fuck, Naruto—"

"Sa— _hah_ —"

Naruto threw his head back, eyebrows furrowed—Sasuke took a moment to appreciate the view—

"Teme," Naruto gasped, half-lidded eyes meeting his, "I—give me your hand—"

Naruto grabbed the hand as Sasuke raised it, pulling it to his face—he opened his mouth—

Sasuke watched, eyes wide, as Naruto sucked on his fingers—no, not just sucked—he was—he wanted—

He let go of Sasuke's hand and raised his knee.

"Sasuke," he breathed—as if calling him—beckoning him forward—Sasuke shuddered with desire—as if he could do anything but obey—

He pressed a finger into Naruto as he kissed him—a thrill lashing through him at the way Naruto moaned into his mouth—the way his hips began to grind, as if moving with Sasuke hands—Naruto really—he really _wanted_ this—

Naruto's hips bucked—breaking the kiss as the blonde gasped for air. Sasuke stared at him, mesmerized by the sight of Naruto with his head thrown back, brow furrowed, eyes barely open as they stared at Sasuke—he would _never_ get over this sight—

"Naruto," he pressed another finger forwards—Naruto gave a shuddering nod, one hand reaching up to grab—to scratch at Sasuke's skin—Sasuke bent his head down so that the blonde could run a hand through his hair properly—and then he continued to move—down—

A sharp inhale of breath was his reward as he ran his tongue up Naruto's cock—maybe it was the alcohol that gave him the confidence to do so, but he paused—eyes flickering up to Naruto's—he couldn't stop the smirk if he tried—

"You— _tease—_ " Naruto hissed—breathless with lust, there was no anger in his eyes, only desire—only _need_ —

Sasuke was rapidly running out of patience.

He took Naruto into his mouth—fully—as he pressed a third finger into him—

"Fu—uck—nngh—"

Naruto's legs kicked against the couch, feet scraping along the surface as if he couldn't keep still—his hands gripped at Sasuke's hair as if he was trying to stop himself from pulling him closer—Sasuke redoubled his efforts—

"Fuck—Sasuke—I can't—I'm gonna—"

Sasuke pulled up—Naruto's cock fell out of his mouth—feeling as if he was staring at Naruto through a cloud of lust—like he could barely see straight—

He pulled his fingers out, pulling Naruto up, onto his lap—he felt Naruto's hand grip him— _gods,_ how good that felt—positioning his cock—

And then he lowered himself—and Sasuke's mind was ground into dust in the face of the rushing _wave_ of pleasure, as if he was engulfed by heat—Naruto felt so _warm_ —so perfect—Sasuke could barely think—barely see, barely _hear_ , even as Naruto voice trembled past his ear—

"Ha—ah," Naruto's breath shuddered along his neck, hands clawing at his back as they wrapped around him—he wanted to move so _badly_ , but Naruto had paused, shaking in place—

He pulled Naruto closer, pressing his lips to his shoulder, his neck, his collarbone, his chest as he whispered his name—as Naruto sank down, closer to him—it was almost like a sigh—like a mantra, echoing through him—Naruto, Naruto, Naruto—

"—s'ke," Naruto's breath brushed his ear, "hah—ah—"

Naruto's eyes were shut, his eyebrows furrowed—Sasuke pushed him back just enough to let his hands fall to Naruto's hips, wrestling with the urge to pull them forwards—wrestling with the urge to push his hips up—to push Naruto back, throw his legs on his shoulders and—

Naruto's eyes fluttered open.

The smile was soft—it grew slowly, tenderly, accentuated only by the glittering happiness in Naruto's eyes—Sasuke had never felt so raw, so laid bare underneath that gaze—

Naruto pressed their foreheads together, one hand on either side of Sasuke's face.

"Move, teme."

It was the only permission Sasuke needed.

"Usura—tonkachi—"

He pushed his hips up— _slowly_ , he told himself—but Naruto met him so easily, it was barely a moment before they began to move together—began to rock together—and the tremble in Naruto's grip was back, but it was accompanied by small noises, now—soft moans, hidden under his breath, but Sasuke heard them—Sasuke _heard them_ —

Naruto's head fell onto his shoulder and Sasuke wrapped his arms around his waist, pulling him closer—closer—as he had always wanted—oh _god_ , how he had wanted this—

"Sasuke—o-oh—f—ngh," Naruto seemed to collapse even further into his arms—his hands scratching at Sasuke's back, gripping at his hair, as if they couldn't commit to a place to stay—as if they didn't have the strength at all—Sasuke could empathize with the feeling—

"Ah—hah—"

His hand found its way between them—Naruto's cock felt sosmooth, so soft—he desperately tried to focus enough to move in time with their thrusts, but it was so hard—his mind felt so—so _full_ of Naruto— _god_ —Naruto—Naruto—

"Sasuke—!"

Naruto's back arched—pulling away just enough that Sasuke could see his face—his expression—Naruto's cock pulsed in his hand— _oh_ —

"Sasuke—oh, fuck—Sas—ah!"

Sasuke watched—eyes wide—as Naruto came. He had never seen anything so—so—

"Na—ah—hah—!"

Sasuke clung to Naruto as if he was the only thing keeping him alive as he rode out his orgasm—as if he was the only thing keeping him sane, because he was sure his mind was lost, swallowed by this _ecstasy_ —

His vision came back to him first—followed by the hazy pieces of his mind, the sensation of Naruto's weight, still on him, and Naruto's breath, still harsh and shaking—

Still, he couldn't bring himself to let go.

"Sasuke," his voice was so quiet, Sasuke wasn't sure he would have heard it without feeling Naruto's lips move against his neck.

"Mm?" It was about the only response he could muster.

"…My ass hurts."

Sasuke couldn't have stopped the chuckle if he tried.

"Usuratonkachi," he pulled back, "come on."

Gently, slowly, he helped Naruto off of him—Naruto made a small noise as Sasuke's cock exited him, before he collapsed onto the couch.

"You can't sleep here." He leaned over Naruto, arms reaching out. Naruto's hands rose to clasp his, but the blonde only gave him a lazy, tired grin.

"Wanna bet?"

Sasuke snorted.

"If you don't move, I'm going to pick you up."

"Mm, whatever…"

Sasuke moved off of Naruto and promptly slipped his hands underneath him.

"Hey—whoa—!"

Naruto wasn't that heavy, and it wasn't as if Sasuke had never carried him—although the blonde tended to be unconscious, usually—

"Sas—ah, fuck—ow—" Naruto froze mid-flail, his eyes squeezed shut.

Sasuke paused, frowning at him.

"Put your arms around my neck," he said, lifting a leg onto the couch so some of Naruto's weight could rest on his knee. Really, the couch made for a terrible sleep—Sasuke knew it better than anyone. And if Naruto was already hurting…

Naruto—surprisingly—obeyed. Sasuke took it as a signal to pick him up properly, shuffling towards the bedroom.

"Next time," Naruto's eyes closed—more softly, this time, "we use lube."

Sasuke clutched him closer—his throat suddenly feeling very thick.

"…Yeah."

* * *

Sasuke's eyes sprang open—someone was here—who was—

"Sasuke!" The knocks echoed through the house. Sasuke let out a breath, his body relaxing. It was just Sakura.

He kicked his legs out of the bed—and then froze.

He was naked.

He was naked—and—

Last night's events came flooding back to him all at once—he spun around, eyes wide—

Where Naruto lay, eyes open, watching him.

"Morning, teme." Naruto gave him a small attempt at a grin—but his voice was quiet, and his eyes were wary.

Sasuke swallowed. Did Naruto regret what they had done?

"Usuratonkachi," he replied—voice just as quiet. He tried to mask the emotion, but from the way Naruto's eyes continued to scan him, he must not have been very successful.

"Naruto? Sasuke?"

Sasuke felt his shoulders sag as he teared his gaze away from Naruto. He wanted the blonde to say something—anything—but he could hear the impatience in Sakura's voice—

"Shit," Naruto gave a breathy laugh, "we were all gonna meet today, weren't we?"

Sasuke blinked.

"I forgot," he grimaced at the doorway. He _really_ didn't want to go…

"Me too."

Sasuke looked back at Naruto—he was sitting up, now. The blankets pooled on his lap, riding dangerously low—Sasuke's gaze paused around Naruto's hip bones—if only the blonde would sit up a little higher—

"I can _feel_ your chakra, boys! Don't make me come in there!"

Naruto bit his lip, waving a hand at Sasuke.

"Go—stall her—I gotta find my clothes—" He laughed again, looking around himself as if they would magically appear—

"They're in the living room," Sasuke stopped him, "just grab some of mine—anything is fine—"

He scrambled out of the bed, grabbing clothes for himself—distantly, he realized he really needed a shower—Naruto did too—

"Coming, Sakura!" He called, grabbing the clothes scattered around the living room—he had to hide them—ah, there, in the cupboard—

Letting out a small breath, he opened the door.

Sakura crossed her arms, smiling at him.

"It's almost ten. Did you guys forget?"

"We—overslept." He twitched a little—willing the idiot to get down here soon—

"Ah, good, Naruto is actually here. I checked his apartment first, but I figured he'd be here."

"Ahh—sorry, Sakura-chan!" Naruto called, jogging up to the door. "We can go now."

"Have you two just woken up? If you need to," she paused, blinking at Naruto's clothes for a moment, "change or something—"

"His clothes smell," Sasuke interrupted.

"Uh—yeah!" Naruto nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. "We sparred yesterday, so…"

"Oh," she eyed them for a moment longer, "well, alright. Shall we?"

* * *

"We should have taken the time for breakfast," Naruto muttered. "I'm so hungry…"

Sasuke snorted, lagging behind further to lend more space between them and Sakura. The back of Naruto's hand brushed against his as they walked, but he made no attempt to move away.

Neither did Naruto.

"Usuratonkachi," he said quietly. "It will be time for lunch, soon."

"I dunno if I'll make it," Naruto eyed him, smiling in spite of his despondent tone. Sasuke found himself in a similar situation…

"Keep up, you two! You're worse than Kakashi," Sakura called back.

"Ah—sorry, Sakura-chan!" Naruto trotted up, laughing—Sasuke made to do the same, but—

Naruto's back…he hadn't realized…

Face flushing, Sasuke forced himself to keep walking at the same pace—his heart was doing something entirely questionable—

He hadn't realized Naruto was wearing the Uchiha symbol.

* * *

Sasuke was awfully distracted. His mind—and his eyes—kept drifting to Naruto…it was much worse than usual, and it was usually pretty bad.

But, somehow…

Seeing Naruto—wearing his family's symbol, in his clothes, so soon after what they had done…it had Sasuke's mind in an uproar.

Not to mention what it was doing to his heart.

"A couple more clones over here, Naruto!"

Sakura called back at them, waving an arm.

"Oh, yeah!" Naruto summoned a veritable army. "That good?"

"Yup! Come on, guys." She smiled as they began to grumble. Sparring without chakra worked well for him and Naruto, whose taijutsu always seemed to leave something to be desired, but honing Sakura's taijutsu style required optimizing her chakra use.

Since Sakura's chakra tended to match Naruto's and Sasuke's in terms of sheer destruction, training dummies were a no-go.

"Sakura-chan is so _mean_ to us…"

"Can't we just rebuild the dummies again?"

"I don't wanna go first. No, wait, I do—"

"Let's go to the next area," the real Naruto appeared by Sasuke's side, pulling at him, "these guys are too slow."

"These guys are you," Sasuke responded, following Naruto nonetheless.

Naruto laughed, tilting his head back to eye Sasuke.

"Yup," he grinned, "but if I knew Sakura-chan was gonna beat me up, I'd be slow too."

Sasuke smirked, conceding the point.

But it faded quickly as they paused in the middle of the clearing. Sasuke was suddenly very aware of his heartbeat—aware of the way Naruto's fingers brushed against his—aware that they were about as alone as they could get at this point—

"Mm, Sasuke," Naruto turned to face him, "about yesterday."

Sasuke's heart stopped.

"...I hope you don't expect," Naruto mouth spread into a small, teasing smile, "that I'm gonna bottom every time."

The warmth spread through Sasuke's body so rapidly that he nearly stumbled—it was a wonder that the noise that escaped him was a laugh, instead of a gasp for air against the intensity of this—

"Usuratonkachi," the word escaped him like a sigh—

"Teme." Naruto grinned, body easily sliding into the ready position that Sasuke knew like the back of his hand. "Winner's pick?"

Sasuke matched him.

"Bring it on."

* * *

 _A/N: The biggest thank yous to everyone who reviewed, and everyone who was interested in seeing this draft. Let me know what you thought! And get excited for tomorrow - lots of fun stuff starting then :)  
_

 _Until then,_

 _\- Kinomi_


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